No, Not a Stalfos
by Ceu Praca
Summary: Grog became lost while wandering the forest, and he is near death. As he can feel the Stalfos Curse rising within him, he encounters something quite unexpected in the dark woods: a young girl.
1. Mushrooms

**A/N:** Fado gets made fun of way too much. I know, she can be creepy, but she's just a normal Kokiri, not some kind of weird witch of the wild woods. And Grog is one of the more underrated characters. Yes, as usual, I'm writing about the side characters that no one cares about. XD

**Disclaimer:** I _wish_ I owned the Legend of Zelda, but...I don't. Darn. Maybe if I think about it hard enough... XP

_Dedicated to JesusLover13, who got me hooked on Grog in the first place. If it weren't for you, I never would have noticed this minor, yet fascinating, cucco boy. =D_

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**1: Mushrooms**

Fado liked the days when it was her turn to collect mushrooms; it gave her a chance to get away from the rest of the noisy kids and be on her own for a while. Not only did gathering the mushrooms allow her to have some peace and quiet, she liked to be in the Lost Woods.

Sometimes, she saw the little Lost Kokiri, the Skull People, and she always tried to talk to them; they always ran away, though, before she could catch one. Today, there were no Skullchildren, at least, not yet. She hummed softly to herself as she carefully dug up the mushrooms, keeping a watchful eye out for any strange shadows that would hint at the presence of one of the lost ones.

"H-h-help…"

Fado shrieked, leaping on top of a tree stump and staring in fright at the…what was it? It looked like a boy, but…really, _really_ tall, with super pale skin and a narrow, gaunt face. She frowned as the boy-creature staggered forward, collapsing to the ground and laying motionless there.

After a while, when she was certain that he wasn't going to jump up and strike at her, Fado climbed down from the stump and inched closer. She kicked his side lightly and darted away to a safe distance, watching. Nothing. He didn't move.

"Are you alive?" she whispered. "Or a ghost?"

The boy-creature groaned softly, raising his head and staring up at her with milky blue eyes. "P-please, h-help…"

She cocked her head curiously. "You look sick." An idea occurred to the girl, and she dug into her bag and pulled out one of the mushrooms, falling to her knees beside the boy-creature and holding it in front of his nose. "Here, eat this. It'll make you feel better."

Those blue eyes narrowed into a scowl, and Fado sighed, grabbing his chin and shoving the mushroom into his mouth when he opened it to protest her actions; the boy-creature coughed violently, and she clapped her hand over his mouth to keep him from spitting the food out. He made a weird grumbling sound, but swallowed the mushroom, a thin, bony hand reaching up to grab her wrist.

Fado stared at him, unsure of whether she should be afraid or not, but he just sat up, seemingly stronger now. He stared at her, then shrugged. "What was that you just made me eat?""

"A forest mushroom," she answered simply. "Are you a stalfos or something?"

The boy-creature eyed her, looking confused. "No, I'm a Hylian."

She was bewildered. "What's a Hylian?"

He sighed. "You know…people from Hyrule. Big fields, towns and villages, rivers and deserts…"

"You're a Big Person from the Outside World!" she gasped, shocked.

A faint smile crossed his face. "Yeah, I guess. My name's Grog, and I guess I should thank you for bothering to help me. Who're you?"

"I'm Fado," she replied, beaming. "I'm a Kokiri from the Great Deku Tree's Forest. Why were you sick?"

"I…" he hesitated, looking wary. "I was running from something, and entered the woods. I got lost, couldn't find my way, and it felt like something was…inside of me, growing and hurting me."

"That's the stalfos magic," Fado said promptly."

"Stalfos magic?" Grog repeated, bemused.

"Anyone who gets lost in these woods gets affected by the stalfos magic," she explained patiently. "If you don't know how to find your way, the forest decides that you're better off as a spirit, and the magic turns you into a stalfos. Everybody, stalfos."

He shivered. "Why am I not turning into one anymore, then?"

"The mushroom. It's magic, too. If you're running away from something, does that mean you want to stay in the forest forever?"

Grog looked thoughtful at that. "Uh…maybe. If I can have some kind of guarantee that I'm not gonna turn into a stalfos."

"You won't transform if you keep eating the mushrooms," Fado assured him. "You could live here! I can bring you mushrooms every day, and you'd be safe here!"

The boy-creature was silent for a long time, then, slowly, he nodded, smiling again. "I think I'd like that. Thank you, Fado."

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**A/N: **I tried to incorporate Fado's mild fascination with stalfos into this, and, obviously, the topic of mushrooms kept popping up. No, I don't like the idea that Grog turned into a stalfos. I have a feeling that he would like the Kokiri, because they're not "disgusting" like the rest of the people he knows; they're just children, completely honest and innocent about everything, and they haven't been corrupted by the rest of the world. Next chapter will probably come soon, so stay tuned. :o)


	2. Lost

**A/N:** Finally finished the second chapter! This was a little tough to write, because I very rarely write in third-person. So if parts of this seem a little...odd, then that's probably why. I'm normally a first-person writer, but I felt that third-person would be best for this story.

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**2: Lost**

"So what were you running from?" Fado asked, sitting, cross-legged, beside the Hylian and staring up at him curiously. Now that she was so close to him, she saw that he had yellow hair, like a Kokiri, but it was so short that it was nearly invisible.

Grog flinched almost imperceptibly, discomfited by both the question and the child's nearness. "I, uh…" he hesitated, leaning against the tree stump. "I was running away from my father," he finally admitted after a long moment of silence.

"What's a 'father?'" Fado responded, bewildered. "Is it scary?"

"Mine is," he answered, shuddering. "A father is…someone who's in charge of you. A father is supposed to take care of you and teach you and love you, but…mine doesn't do any of that. He's…mean. _Really_ mean."

"Oh." She looked subdued for a moment. Then she jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his scrawny torso in a tight hug, pressing her nose into his chest. "You can share my father," she whispered.

Grog stared down at her in shock; no one had touched him in a long, long time, and he couldn't even remember the last time someone had _hugged_ him. He just sat there, frozen, unsure of what to do, then carefully pried her away. "Um…thanks, but, uh…hold on, how can you have a father if you don't even know what one is?"

She grinned, jumping to her feet and tugging on his hand until he stood as well. "I've never heard the word 'father' before, but once you described that, then I knew what you meant. A father is a guardian. Come on, I want you to meet my guardian!"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Grog replied uncertainly. "I don't get along with people very well…"

"Oh, that's okay," she said cheerily. "He's not a person!"

"Wait, what?" he said blankly, puzzled. _How can a guardian not be a person?_ he wondered as he allowed the girl to drag him confidently through the dark tunnels through a dizzying myriad of clearings. "How do you find your way around here?" he asked, amazed by her surety.

"I was born here," came the quick reply. "The Lost Woods aren't scary or dangerous if you know how to follow your ears. The music guides you, but the path is ever changing."

Grog listened intently, but all her could hear were birds chirping and a weird, rustling sound accompanied by a low hiss that creeped him out. "What's that scratching noise?"

Fado stopped dead, cocking her head to listen, and her eyes widened. "Ghoma! Run!" She darted off, looking panicked, and Grog bolted after her, an unearthly fear urging him forward into the darker tunnels. When he emerged into another clearing, the girl was gone; he was alone in the woods for the second time in his life.

"Fado?" he called anxiously, looking around, but seeing nothing. _Maybe she's just hiding behind a bush somewhere,_ he hoped, but the more he searched the grove he was in, the more despair he felt. For all her kindness to him, Fado had proved to be no different than the rest of the people that he knew: disgusting and self-serving.

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**A/N1:** Oh, great, looks like G01den W01f 11 was right...things went horribly wrong. :( I apologize in advance to JesusLover13 for this; poor Grog isn't going to be finding happiness yet, it seems.

**A/N2:** How is there a Ghoma in the Lost Woods, you might be wondering? I just figured that they were normal forest creatures like stalfos are, and thus, even after Link exterminated all of the ones inside of the Great Deku Tree, there would still be some in the forest. Naturally, the Kokiri would fear them. You can't blame Fado, really; to a little kid, a Ghoma is gigantic and terrifying.


	3. Pain

**3: Pain**

_To the darkest realm with it all!_ he thought bitterly. _I should just turn into a stalfos and end this life. Or get eaten,_ he added mentally, hearing the scratching noise get closer. The 'ghoma,' as Fado had called it, soon materialized into a large, black, four-legged creature with vivid, turquoise markings and a glowing, orange eye. And big fang-things.

It crept closer, and he held perfectly still as it ran sharp little feelers across his face and chest, seemingly trying to figure out whether or not he was edible.

_Oh, Nayru, let it all be over soon! _he wished fervently, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting. The tickling, painful sensation of the feelers vanished abruptly, and the ghoma let out an ear-piercing screech, hissing malevolently, the rustling sound abruptly becoming thunderous, then…there was silence.

A cold hand touched his wrist, and he yelped, opening his eyes and leaping back to see a girl standing there. Grog froze, confused. _Who is she?_ It certainly wasn't Fado; this girl was slightly shorter, with vibrant, green hair and a thinner, wiser-looking face.

"It's okay, you're safe now," the girl said kindly, her voice a low whisper that sounded like the wind.

"Who…who are you…?" he stammered, confused and feeling shaky all of a sudden now that the imminent doom was gone.

She smiled, stepping closer to take both of his hands in hers. "My name is Saria. Do not fear, Fado is scared, but she's okay."

"I wasn't concerned for her," he snapped bitterly. "_Why_ should I care about her? She abandoned me!"

"She was frightened," Saria replied calmly. "She has witnessed the devastation that a single ghoma can cause. Her fear overtook her, and she forgot rational thought. She is a _child_, Grog. You cannot expect her to behave the way that adults do. She is worried about you now, and feels horrible because she left you."

He was unsure of whether he should believe her or not. He _wanted_ to, but he'd been betrayed by too many people, he was afraid to trust her words. "How can I trust you?"

"I'm not asking you to trust _me_, I am asking you to trust _her_. Do you want me to bring you back to her?" she asked softly.

"I…I don't…" He collapsed to his knees suddenly, face contorting in pain, lashing out when Saria tried to touch him. "What is wrong with me?!" he screamed, burying his face in his hands. "It hurts, it hurts, make it _stop_!"

Saria murmured something quickly in a strange tongue, cupping her hands together to form a green ball of magic; she spread her hands slowly, allowing the verdant light to wash over Grog's tortured form, and he gasped as he was filled with an overpowering strength.

For an instant, he saw the forest through a Saria's eyes, filled with spirits and fairies, seeing his own body laying on the ground in front of her, then, in a flash of golden light, his vision returned to normal, and he was back in his own mind.

The girl knelt beside him, smiling and looping something around his neck. "This token will prevent the curse from changing you. As long as you wear it, you will be safe. I am sorry I did not help you sooner; I can see that you are a good person, and I think the forest will be better for having you around."

Grog sat up slowly, puzzled as he felt healthier than he had in years; he glanced down, seeing a small, stone pendant, carved into a strange symbol. "What did you do? The pain…it's gone."

"I am the Sage of Forest, and the forest can either give life or take it away. I gave you life. Do not waste it."

She reached out one hand, and, hesitantly, he took it, shivering slightly as the small girl led him through the dark tunnels; they were an odd sight, a tall, bony, pale man stumbling along hand-in-hand with a green-haired child, but Grog realized suddenly just how afraid he was to be alone. So he allowed her to lead him where she would, through a winding, twisting maze until they reached a long, stone staircase.

He blinked, surprised. "How are there stairs inside a forest?"

She smiled again, but didn't answer, leading him up them wordlessly into a beautiful grove with a massive, stone structure built into the trees. There was a tree stump near the broken-off stairs into the structure, and huddled at it's base…was Fado.

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**A/N1:** To those of you who may have been sadistically hoping that this story would end it despair...sorry, it doesn't. Still, things might be a little rough still; I'm not sure whether or not he's still miffed at Fado. I know a few of you were wondering if Link was going to pop out of nowhere and save the day, but...nope! It's Saria to the rescue! As the Sage of Forest, then, naturally(no pun intended, lol), she would see everything that goes on in her domain. And yes, she can scare away a ghoma if she wants to. XD

**A/N2: **Weird; seems like the forest mushrooms wore off quickly. Maybe it was because the Stalfos Curse was already inside him to begin with?


	4. Hug

**4: Hug**

The little girl was curled up with her head in her hands, and, to his shock, he heard a faint crying. Saria let go of Grog and went to kneel beside her. "Fado, I'm back. Look."

Blue eyes peeked tentatively through her fingers, then there was a shriek of delight and Fado was on her feet and wrapped around Grog in a tight hug before he could even register the movement, her face pressed into his belly. He stared down at her golden hair, bewildered, then tentatively rested his hands on her shoulders, unsure of how to act.

Several moments went by with the only sound being muffled sobs, and Grog couldn't tell if they were sounds of relief or fright; he looked around, hoping that Saria could give him some kind of clue as to what he should do, but the sage was oddly missing.

"Uh…Fado?" he finally asked.

She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. "A-a-are…are you m-m-mad at m-me?"

He frowned. "I honestly don't know. You _did_ abandon me."

"I'm sorry!" she wailed, squeezing him tighter, if that was even possible. "I thought you were right behind me! When I realized you weren't there, I panicked, and I feel so awful!"

He stood there awkwardly, feeling her body shaking from how hard she had been crying, and Grog felt something unexpectedly that he had never felt before: compassion. The man carefully sat down on the stump, and, for the first time in his life, returned someone's embrace, clutching the girl's small, fragile body to him, suddenly afraid to let her go. "It…it's okay…I forgive you."

"R-r-really?" she stammered, looking enormously relieved, and, with childish abruptness, jumped up into his lap and kissed his cheek before letting go. "Thank you!"

He froze, stunned, and reached up to touch his face, confused. "What was that for?"

"For being such a good friend!" she responded innocently.

_Kids sure bounce back from stuff quickly,_ he thought with amazement, shaking his head. "Have I mentioned yet just how much you puzzle me?"

She shrugged. "No, not yet. Puzzles are fun, though! I do them all the time with my brothers and sisters!"

"Wait, you have a family?" he said, startled. "What are you doing all alone in the woods, then?"

"I was gathering mushrooms!" she answered promptly, extending one hand to touch the odd, stone pendant that hung from his neck, beaming happily. "Saria likes you; that's a good sign. You're safe from becoming a stalfos now!"

He looked down at the necklace, brow furrowed. "Where did she vanish to, exactly?"

Fado gave him a funny look. "She didn't vanish! She's always in the woods, everywhere. Do you want to meet my family now?"

"Are they 'not people,' too?" he asked dryly, standing.

She shook her head, chuckling. "No, they're kids like me!"

Fado clambered up onto his shoulders before he could stop her, and he tilted his head back to look at her, surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Now we can't be separated again," she responded matter-of-factly, positioning herself so that her legs were hanging down over his chest before carefully holding his head in her hands and turning his gaze toward the stairs. "Let's go! Don't worry, I'll guide you!"

He shrugged, heading down the stairs carefully, glancing up every now and then to make sure she was still there; she was astonishingly lightweight, and if it weren't for her hands clutching tightly to either side of his head, he wouldn't even know she was there.

They walked in silence for a bit, with her occasionally turning his head toward the correct tunnel, then he heard her giggle suddenly. He frowned, looking up at her again. "What is it now?"

"I've never been this tall before!" she exclaimed with delight, stretching to brush a hand against some overhanging branches.

He smiled in spite of himself, and she tapped his head to turn him to the left; obediently, he obeyed, and, to his shock, they emerged onto a high ledge that overlooked a massive open area. Huge tree stumps were scattered across the clearing, with doors cut out of them and the bark painted with bright red and white hues. Children, all dressed in green like Fado was, were all over the place, and they all looked about the same age as each other. Some of them were climbing, some running, and others just sitting around working with their hands or talking with each other.

"What is this place?" he breathed, amazed.

He felt, rather than heard, her laughter above him. "The Kokiri Woods."

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**A/N:** I can't wait until Grog meets Mido. XD


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